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Wollongong is a seaside city about 90 km south of Sydney in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The city of 295,000 lies a few kilometres north of Port Kembla, an industrial complex—the largest single concentration of heavy industry in Australia. Cruise ships berth at the inner Port Kembla main harbour. Wollongong faces the Tasman Sea and a long coastline of surfing beaches. A few kilometres inland the narrow coastal plain is hemmed by the low rainforest-covered Illawarra Range. South of the city centre but within the urban area is Lake Illawarra, a large lagoon. Wollongong has a long history of coal mining and industry.

Lake Illawarra was first explored by Europeans (Bass and Flinders) in 1796, and following them came cedar cutters and graziers. Though coal was discovered in the region in 1796, it was first exported from the harbour in 1849. The older Wollongong Breakwater Lighthouse located at the harbour entrance was made of wrought iron plates in 1871 and has become an icon of the city. The Port Kembla steelworks began in 1928 and is now the named Bluescope Steel from 2003. Apart from heavy industry, the economy includes higher education, fine arts, tourism and eco-friendly electricity production.

One of Wollongong’s major tourist attractions lies a few kilometres west of the city: the Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere. The complex is a Chinese-styled palace structure completed in 1995 using modern architectural techniques. The city indeed has a multicultural population from 70 countries, attracted by jobs in the steel works. Places to visit include: Wollongong Botanic Gardens, Wollongong City Gallery, MacCabe Park, Bald Hill Lookout, Jamberoo Action Park, Kiama, Shellharbour Village, Simbio Wildlife Park, and museums. Port Kembla is the site of a historic colonial fort, several restored cannons and two lighthouses.